John Lauritsen

It may be impossible to have a better senior year than the one Nathan Brinker is having. He’s a human highlight reel from a town of just over 600, having won state in football, wrestling and True Team track.

Construction of the new Vikings stadium hit several key milestones this week. With just over a year to go before construction is completed, several new features are starting to take shape. The roof truss that will support the entire roof of the stadium has been connected.

A fly infestation is creating the wrong kind of buzz in Isanti County. Neighbors along 289th Avenue say it’s gotten so bad, they can’t even spend time working in their yards. County officials say manure spread onto a nearby field is to blame.

A former nuclear power plant employee has been charged with making terroristic threats. According to court documents, 58-year-old Robert Johnson threatened union officials after losing his job at the Monticello nuclear power plant.

A Cloquet car dealership is getting a lot of attention by offering a very unique deal. During the month of May, they are offering a free handgun with the purchase of a car. If you spend close to $4,995 on a new vehicle, you automatically have the option of a free Ruger handgun or a lawn mower.

Prosecutors say a Minnesota man accused of trying to travel to Syria to join the Islamic State group told an informant he’d kill FBI agents if they tried to stop him, while another told friends he’d “spit on America” at the U.S.-Mexico border.

There’s a new concept in apple trees that’s starting to take off: trees that produce two different kinds of apples like Honey Crisp and McIntosh. The trees are called Apple Twist, and are grown at a farm in Wisconsin. But you can now find them at places like Leitner’s Garden Center in St. Paul.

Minnesota lawmakers got a visit Wednesday from a well-known celebrity chef and food writer lobbying to save the “Snowbate” tax credit for production companies. Andrew Zimmern greeted House members, some of whom took selfies with the famous chef.

The walleye opener is just 11 days away, and anglers could be dealing with some shallow lakes. The majority of the state, about 92 percent, is experiencing moderate drought conditions. Less than 20 percent of the state was that dry last year at this time.

Earlier this year, Google quietly introduced a new feature that may raise some eyebrows. The mega search engine announced that you can now download your entire search history. As long as you’ve been logged in, Google has saved each and every search.

It’s been nearly five years since a cancer diagnosis ended a promising football career for Connor Cosgrove. He was a wide receiver at the University of Minnesota when he was diagnosed with leukemia in 2010. He had to stop playing football, and underwent years of chemotherapy treatments.

What was supposed to be one of the happiest times in a mother’s life turned into a struggle for survival. On February 23, Leia Arntson-Bacig gave birth to her daughter Ripley. Eight days later, Leia suffered a stroke and had severe bleeding in her brain. She was put in a medically-induced coma.

A Minnesota farmer-turned-inventor thinks he has a solution for cutting down on soil erosion. Over the years, he became concerned about soil erosion on farm fields. So, he invented a piece of equipment that he says is good for both the environment and for crops.